A playable alpha demo of Nioh, the samurai action game from Team Ninja, will launch for PS4 on April 26, Koei Tecmo has announced. The demo period will end on May 5.

Set in a time of civil war in Japan, Nioh blends samurai and supernatural creatures from Japanese folklore with the challenging combat Team Ninja is known for.

"Ten years have passed since Nioh was originally announced. Even during all that time though, gamers would always ask about it at events like E3 and Gamescom. We always felt support from the gamers around the world for this title," commented Team Ninja general producer Kou Shibusawa.

"Now, finally, Nioh — a game created with the entire power of Koei Tecmo — will be released in 2016. In appreciation to all the fans who have waited so long, and in order to have gamers everywhere try Nioh as soon as possible, we will release the Alpha Demo this month. We hope you enjoy overcoming the challenges in this masocore take on samurai action — Nioh."

Players who complete the alpha demo will be rewarded with The Mark of the Conqueror DLC when the full game launches later this year.